This month, we're celebrating World Water Day (March 22nd) by learning about the issues facing our water supply and identifying the actions and changes we can make to help. Water is not running out: it is simply that there are steadily more of us to share it. Add increasing consumption, poor land use, disrupted weather patterns due to climate change and pollutants in water and we've got a global water crisis on our hands. The good news is that we can start conserving and cleaning up our fresh water supply. Getting our heads around what's happening is the first step. Click here for an overview of the situation and here for ways we can respond. You can also check out our archives page for previous agendas and meeting ideas.
March Focus: Water, Water, Everywhere . . .
> Welcome & Check-In (approx. 5 minutes per person)
If this is your first meeting, members can use this time to
introduce themselves, talk a little about why they're interested in
going green and how they'd like to see the group evolve. If you met last month, this time is an opportunity for each of you to talk briefly about your successes and challenges from last month's goals. Questions you might ask include: How did last month go? Which goals did they try? What worked? What didn't and why? This is a good time for people to ask each other for suggestions too.
> Break (5 minutes)
If you have a large group or a good conversation, the check-in may take about an hour. If this happens, you may choose to take a quick break before moving into the next section of the meeting.
These educational bullets are intended to provide the group with a baseline understanding of the chosen focus area. The facilitator can choose to share these points or supplement them with additional information and resources.
The Situation (thanks to the World Water Council for these talking points)
> The overall amount of water on our planet has remained the same for two billion years. Ninety percent of the planet is covered with water, but only 1% of that water is available for drinking. From the time the earth was formed, this water has been endlessly circulating. This circulation is known as the hydrologic cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration and surface run-off.
Population growth, increasing consumption, poor land use, disrupted weather patterns due to climate change and heavy-duty pollution is putting a lot of stress on that 1% of water we all need to share. One-third of the world's population lives in water-stressed countries now. By 2025, this is expected to rise to two-thirds.
> Population Growth: Global water consumption rose six fold between 1900 and 1995 - more than double the rate of population growth - and goes on growing as farming, industry and domestic demand all increase. Within the next fifty years, the world population will increase by another 40 to 50 %. Much more will be needed if we are to feed the world's growing population - predicted to rise from about six billion today to 8.9 billion by 2050.
> Wasted Water: Already there is more waste water generated and dispersed today than at any other time in the history of our planet: more than one out of six people lack access to safe drinking water and more than two out of six lack adequate sanitation. In the US, each person uses an average of 92 gallons of water per day. In sub-Sahara Africa, each person uses an average of 2 gallons per day.
> Pollution: Agriculture uses 66% of our drinking water and up to 90 % in arid regions, the other 34 % being used by domestic households (10 %), industry (20 %), or evaporated from reservoirs (4 %). Much of our wastewater is polluted with by fertilizers and pesticides that are absorbed into our groundwater and carried by rivers into the ocean. Once in the ocean, these pollutants starve the water of oxygen and create "dead zones", inhospitable to all marine life but algae and bacteria which flourish under these conditions. These toxic algae blooms, called red tides, create brevetoxins which are absorbed into the food chain and can result in severe respiratory ailments.
> Plastic: Before the advent of plastic, ocean gyres like the North Pacific Gyre collected and eliminated biodegradable waste. Today, these gyres are rapidly filling with floating plastic debris. A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of Texas. Unless consumers cut back on their use of disposable plastics, the plastic stew is expected double in size over the next decade. Of the more than 200 billion pounds of plastic the world produces each year, about 10 percent ends up in the ocean. Seventy percent of that eventually sinks, damaging life on the ocean floor. Eighty percent of ocean trash originates on land.
This plastic turns into plastic photodegrades, disintegrating in the ocean into smaller and smaller pieces. These pieces, still polymers, eventually become individual molecules, which are still not easily digested. They resemble zooplankton, which can lead to them being consumed by jellyfish, thus entering the ocean food chain. Many of these long-lasting pieces also wind up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals.
> Water scarcity: Water resources depletion generates tensions among water users and sometimes between states or countries. Every country wants to maintain sovereignty on its resources and to maximize its storage and withdrawals. Over 260 river basins are shared by two or more countries. In the absence of strong institutions and agreements, changes within a basin can lead to transboundary tensions. When major projects proceed without regional collaboration, they can become a point of conflicts, heightening regional instability. Water scarcity already affects one third of the total world population
> Flood and drought risks: Ecosystems degradation, especially in wetlands or in the upstream patch of catchments, reduces their role on flood or drought mitigation. Climate change is disrupting our weather patterns in unpredictable ways, reducing water in some areas and increasing it in others.
What We Can Do (20 minutes):
From this list of green lifestyle changes, each member of your group can choose a reasonable number of goals to work on over the next month. Your group can decide if you want to each choose different goals, work on the same ones, or scrap all of ours and create your own. Please let us know if you have new goals to add to our list.
> Prevent pollutants from going down our drains
Pollutants go down our drains every day in the form of cleaning supplies, personal products, yard fertilizers and the chemicals we use our our garden. When we wash our cars or the sidewalks with water, waste water from these activities also makes its way into our water supply.
> Try spring cleaning with homemade environmentally friendly products (thanks to Care2)
Standard household cleaners are considered hazardous waste by the City of Seattle. Probably a good idea to stop using them in our homes and dispose of them properly. Luckily, It's quick, easy and economical to make our own nontoxic cleaning kits. With a few inexpensive supplies, you'll have enough stuff for months of cleaning for about one-tenth the price. And 100% less pollution going down your drain. Click here for recipes!
SUPPLIES
> Baking soda
> Washing soda
> White distilled vinegar
> A good liquid soap or detergent like Dr. Bronner's
> Tea tree oil
> 6 clean spray bottles
> 2 glass jars
> Conserve water at home & let the lawn go brown
Water - Use It Wisely is an incredibly useful site filled with tons of regional suggestions for conserving water at home and in the yard. There's also a comprehensive list of resources if you want to learn more about a particular area of water conservation.
> Eat less meat (thanks to the World Resources Institute)
In the U.S., the production of livestock and their feedcrops is responsible for one-third of the nitrogen and phosphorous discharged into freshwater which create "dead zones" - expansive areas so toxic neither plants nor animals can survive - in the ocean. The U.S. accounts for only 7 percent of the world's cattle stocks. Without better livestock farming practices, or a significant change in eating habits, our dietary preferences will drive expanding dead zones around the world. One pound of beef requires an input of approximately 2500 gallons of water, whereas a pound of soy requires 250 gallons of water and a pound of wheat only 25 gallons. Hmmmmmm.
> Adopt your local storm drain, creek, river, sound and/or sea
We can help keep our water free from pollution by keeping an eye on our neighborhood storm drains and local creeks and rivers. Many public utilities sponsor an "Adopt A Drain" program to keep storm drains free from trash, leaves and other debris that may fall in and make its way to streams, rivers and eventually the ocean. There are also lots of other ways to get involved in cleaning up our local creeks, rivers, groundwater, sound and sea. Don't forget to tell us all about your great work!
> Celebrate World Water Day (March 22nd)
It's time to celebrate World Water Day! Grab the kids and participate in your local Walk for Water, inspired by the example of women in water stressed countries who often walk 6 miles each day just to get water for their family. If there isn't a Walk in your area or you can't attend in person, show your support by joining the global "Virtual Walk For Water" from the comfort of your home or office. They'll include your name in a symbolic water jug to be carried by a participant in one of the local Walk for Water events. Or create your own traditions . . . tell us about your ideas for celebrating World Water Day!
> Tell our representatives to protect our water supply
Sign up for email alerts and get busy writing (or sending a pre-written) email to your representatives. It literally just takes a minute and can make a big difference. Here are a few good places to start:
> Natural Resources Defense Council (range of water and environmental issues)
> Food & Water Watch (wants to ban privatization of water for profit)
> American Rivers Action Alerts (keeping our rivers clean
> Super Challenge! (5 minutes)
If your group likes to live on the wild side, try a Super Challenge. It's a fun way to take a green risk and try something new. You can choose one related to the month's theme, pick one at random, or create a new one as a group (send us your favorites to add to our list).
Find a neglected creek, stream, river or stretch of beach in your community and clean it up! Work with your neighbors, kids and other community members to make a difference in your neck of the woods. And don't forget to tell us all about it!
> Wrapping It Up (5 minutes)
As you wrap things up after all that good green fun, make sure to determine the facilitator, location, date and time for next month's meeting. The new facilitator will be responsible for reminding the group a week or so before the next meeting.
And that's it! If you run into snags or want to celebrate your goals over the next month, you can talk it out with the other members of your group or here in our online community.